JON VENABLES FACES FRESH BID FOR FREEDOM AS JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY DEMANDS PUBLIC PAROLE HEARING

More than 30 years after the murder of two-year-old James Bulger, the case is once again returning to the spotlight as Jon Venables faces another parole hearing.

But this time, James’s family is demanding something more: they want the proceedings to be opened to the public.

Venables, who was 10 when he and Robert Thompson were convicted of murdering James in 1993, has been given another opportunity to argue for release after a previous parole bid was rejected in 2023.

For James’s mother, Denise Fergus, the latest proceedings have brought back what her representatives have described as “unimaginable trauma.”

A FRESH PAROLE HEARING

Venables is now 43 and remains in prison.

His latest parole case was announced in January 2026, more than two years after the Parole Board rejected his previous application.

At the 2023 hearing, the panel said it was not satisfied that releasing him at that stage would be safe for the protection of the public. It identified continuing concerns about risk and his relationship with probation professionals.

The new hearing will examine whether the circumstances have changed sufficiently for release to be considered.

A date for the hearing has not been publicly confirmed.

JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY WANTS THE HEARING IN PUBLIC

In August 2026, the Parole Board formally published details of an application from Denise and Stuart Fergus asking for Venables’ oral hearing to be held in public.

According to the official summary, they argue that the extraordinary public interest in the case means a public hearing could improve understanding of how parole decisions are made.

They also say that years of social-media speculation and misinformation have caused further distress for the family.

The couple argue that Venables’ later offending as an adult is an exceptional feature of the case and that greater public scrutiny would help people understand how risk is assessed and managed.

James’s father, Ralph Bulger, and uncle, Jimmy Bulger, have also submitted a separate application seeking a public hearing.

Their lawyers argue that the case raises wider questions about previous releases, recalls to custody, risk management, anonymity and public protection.

They have proposed that sensitive evidence could still be dealt with privately, allowing a hybrid hearing in which some proceedings are open to observers while confidential material remains protected.

BUT THE HEARING HAS NOT YET BEEN MADE PUBLIC

Despite claims circulating online, there has been no final decision confirming that Venables’ parole hearing will be public.

The Parole Board has published the applications and invited representations on the issue.

The official documents make clear that the question of public access remains a separate legal and procedural decision.

A public hearing would also not automatically mean Venables’ identity could be revealed.

Both Venables and Thompson were granted new identities after their release, and legal protections remain in place preventing publication of their current identities.

VENABLES HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN RECALLED TO PRISON

Venables and Thompson were released on licence in 2001 after serving their custodial sentences.

Venables was later recalled to prison in 2010 after indecent images of children were found on his computer.

He was released again in 2013, but was recalled for a second time in 2017 following another offence involving indecent images of children.

His previous parole application was rejected in December 2023.

The Parole Board said at the time that it remained concerned about risks associated with his behaviour and concluded that release was not safe at that stage.

A FAMILY RELIVING THE PAIN

For Denise Fergus, the latest parole process means confronting the case that changed her life more than three decades ago.

Her representatives have said that each new parole process forces her to revisit the trauma surrounding James’s murder.

She has now been granted permission to observe the upcoming hearing, although the question of whether the wider public will be allowed to watch remains unresolved.

The issue has also reached Parliament.

In February 2026, MP Anneliese Midgley raised the impact of Venables’ latest parole process on James Bulger’s family, describing the proceedings as an ongoing source of trauma. Justice Minister Jake Richards said the government recognised that parole hearings could be traumatic for victims and their families.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The Parole Board must now consider the applications for a public hearing before the question of public access can be settled.

Separately, the Board will assess Venables’ current circumstances and the evidence relevant to whether he can safely be released.

For now, there is no confirmed decision that Venables will be released.

There is also no final ruling that his parole hearing will be completely open to the public.

What is certain is that more than three decades after James Bulger’s death, the legal process surrounding one of Britain’s most closely followed criminal cases continues — while his family once again waits for the next decision.